Tajik president instructs issuance of Rogun plant's shares.

17/11 Tass 297

DUSHANBE, November 17 (Itar-Tass) - Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon
has instructed to urgently issue shares of the most ambitious hydropower
project on the CIS space - Rogun hydropower plant.

He expressed confidence that "every conscious and decent citizen of
Tajikistan will make possible contribution into the construction of the
crucial project."
The sale of state securities to the population should begin in January
2010, which will allow "to attract additional investments into the
construction of the Rogun hydropower plant and to speed up the launch of
this plant without which it is impossible to liquidate the deficit of
electric power and to ensure social and economic development of the
country," Tajikistan's Khovar news agency quoted the president as saying
at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Along with this Tajikistan's independent experts expressed doubt that
"voluntary-compulsory contributions" would yield tangible results.
According to international organizations, over 53 percent of
Tajikistan's population lives below the poverty line, while the average
wage does not exceed 80 U.S. dollars.
According to preliminary estimates, the construction of the 3,600 MW
Rogun hydropower plant ranges between 2.2 to 2.5 billion U.S. dollars.
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